I will wait for CA's assessment: Lee

Brett Lee on Monday said his participation in the Champions Trophy hinges on his cricket board's assessment of the security situation in Pakistan.

Written by Press Trust of India

Read Time: 2 mins

New Delhi:

Unsure about travelling to Pakistan for next month's Champions Trophy, Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee on Monday said his participation in the event hinges on his cricket board's assessment of the security situation in the troubled country.

"I will wait for an official word from Cricket Australia, only then can I say what my perspective is. I still don't know and it's only after CA and the other security agencies tell me, I can decide on the matter," Lee, who was here to launch the new collection of Timex watches, said.

"I would trust people on the ground and what they have to say. People have been commenting on the matter and they are entitled to their opinions but I don't have any right now.

"I am not an expert on security issues so I would rather wait for the experts to tell me what the situation is," he said when asked about the reluctance of some of his teammates and other players on travelling to Pakistan.

The 31-year-old pacer, however, has no issues travelling to India despite the recent serial blasts in cities like Bangalore and Ahmadabad.

"Personally I don't have any problem travelling to India but on travelling to Pakistan for Champions Trophy, it is Cricket Australia that will decide," he said.

On the Australian Cricketers' Association statement that has urged players to boycott the event, Lee said, "We have people on the ground to assess the situation and I would wait for them to tell me."

Lee has been playing almost non-stop cricket ever since taking over as the Australian bowling spearhead after the retirements of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.

And the lanky bowler said he would be taking some breaks in the next few months to balance an increasingly demanding workload.

"This (the workload) is something that has to be monitored. I want to play each and every game for Australia. In 2004, I came here as a 12th man and did not play a single game for Australia. I haven't forgotten that and now that I am on the other side, I don't want to miss anything," he said.

"We have a huge schedule coming up and I know I might need some time off. I am sure I can sneak in a break here or there in the next few months," he added.

Australia has an ODI series against India in October and Lee said the world champions would need a good spinner to succeed on the tracks here.

"We need a front line spinner for that series. We have a couple of promising guys and I am sure they will do well," he said.